Device for grading and washing sand and gravel.



L. F. HECTOR. DEVICE FORGRADING AND WASHING SAND AND GRAVEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. I918.

Patented Apr. 1', 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

\L I\ m vm Wo'c jagaza jji cfaf coy. PNnro-Llrnn. wausnmanm. u. :4

L. F. RECTOR. DEVICE FOR GRADING AND WASHING SAND AND GRAVEL APPLICATION F ILED MAR. 14.'I9l8.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- m mr ammwltoz laiajz Ffiecfar ms mama: -z'lsls 0.. wAsuuvcmN, n. c

LABON F. HECTOR, F COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA.

DEVICE FOR GRADING AND WASHING SAND AND GRAVEL.

Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Application fi1ed March 14, 1918. Serial No. 222,388.

" To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LABON F. Rnoron, citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Platte and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Grading and Washing Sand and Gravel; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

pense of washing and grading granular material is greatly reduced.

Another object is to provide a device of this character by which a cleaner and better graded product may be produced than with other known methods or devices.

Another object is to provide for producing a substantially evenly mixed product from native earthy material which varies in the proportions of granular and other materials composing such native material.

Other objects and advantages may become apparent to persons who read the following details of description in connection with the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved washing and grading device.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line H of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental horizontal sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the corresponding ends of the screen-supporting bars and their adjuncts.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which similar reference characters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views, the device comprises a sluice 10, or a similar means for conducting a stream of water, one end of this sluice being pivotally mounted at 11 upon any suitable support or base 12, while the other end of the sluice is supported by means of rods or cables 13 by means of which the incline of the sluice may be varied. Any suitable means may be provided for conducting water and material to be washed and graded into the sluice, and for this purpose, I provide the chute indicated at 14 in dotted lines, while a receiving device is indicated at 15, the same being substantially in alinement with inclined screen sections 16 from which the washed and graded material is delivered to the member 15. The screen sections are preferably interchangeable with one another, and such screen sections may be provided with meshes of diiierent sizes, and I may either operate the device with screens having meshes all the same size, or I may use screens having different sized meshes at the same operation.

The screens are supported by means of supports or bars 17 which extend substantially from end to end of the sluice,'and constitute means common to said screens for adjusting them with relation to the bottom of the sluice; said bars 17 being supported by means of' a plurality of bars or supporting means 18, each of which is slid able up and down in one of a plurality of dove-tailed grooves 19, the exposed surface of each of the side bars 18 being flush with the inner surface of the verti al side of the sluice in which the grooves 19 are lo"ated. The upper end of each bar 18 is turned outward, apertured and internally screwthreaded to receive oneof a plurality of adjusting screws 20 as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The outer end of each bar 18 is turned downward, as indicated at 21, so

as to form a guide which cooperates with the slots 19 for guiding the bars 18 in their sliding adjustment along the grooves 19.

By the provision of the guides 21. the slots 19 need not essentially be dove-tailed.

In order that the water and granular material may be introduced into the sluice at 1 any one of several points, and upon any predetermined portion of the screen, I provide a plurality of chutes 22 which are pivotally mounted on bolts or rivets and are moved on these pivots into and out of their operative relations, that is, into and out of such position that one of the chutes may deliver the material either onto an adjacent one of the chutes or direct onto the screen, as

Patented Apr. 1. 11919.

clearly disclosed in Fig. 2. By this arrangement of chutes 22, it is obvious that a greater or less portion of the screens (or a greater or less number of the screen sec tions) may be exposed or presented for receiving and grading the granular material, together with the water with which the material is to be washed.

In operating this device it is contemplated to introduce the water and granular material into the sluice, through the chute la, and to conduct the material over one or more of the chutes 22 and onto the screens. The volume of water and material shall be sufficiently deep to embrace the screens within its confines, that is, the water and finer grains or particles of the material which pass through the screen should be sufficient to fill the space beneath the screen, and the entire volume of water should be sufficient to not only fill such space, but to leave a certain amount of water above the screen until the end of the latter is reached by the water. This insures a constantly equal pressure of water against the upper and lower sides of the screen, so that clogging of the material on or under the screen is effectually prevented. In the event that the supply of water and other material is insufficient to thus envelop the exposed portion of the screen, the adjusting screws 20 may be operated for lowering the supporting members 17 and thereby lowering the screen sections, Whereas, if the supply of water and other material is great or sluggish, the screensupporting members 17 may be raised.

Whenever the proportions of fine sand and loam is excessive in the earthy matter, a greater amount of the screen surface is exposed than when the proportion of such fine substance is less. Therefore when it is desired to produce a substantially uniform product from an irregular native material, the chutes 22 may be raised and lowered out of and into the operative position, according to the will of the operator. When it is desired to produce a coarser or finer grade of the washed and screened material, the screens may be removed and substituted by finer or coarser ones. In order to remove any of the screen sections which are under the chute 22, it is only necessary to swing the chutes upward on their pivots, whereupon any one or more of the screen sections may be withdrawn through the space between the chutes 22.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided a device in which the cost is reduced by greatly reducing the financial loss resulting from time lost by operators of the device; by eliminating the cost of expensive materials for operating the screen, the operation of this device being entirely dependent on gravity; by eliminating the cost of elevating the materials to a great height, as is necessary in other known devices; by obtaining the maximum effi ciency in consequence of the flow of the water against both the upper and lower sides of the screen, so as to prevent stoppage or accumulation of the material within the sluice; by eliminating unnecessary Wearlng of the screen sections; and by providing for quickly and easily dislnembering the device for cleaning and airing, thereby preventing unnecessary rusting of the parts when not in use.

Although I have described this embodiment of my invention very minutely, it is to be understood that I do not limit my invention to these exact details of constrhction and arrangement of parts, but I am entitled to makesuch minor changes that donot constitute a departure from the inventiveidea disclosed in the foregoing description and following claims.

What. I claim for my invention is:

1. The combination of a sluice having side walls each formed with grooves that extend downward from the tops of said walls, bars slidably mounted in said grooves, screensupporting elements extending inward from said bars and supported thereby, a screen supported by said screen-supporting elements, and an adjusting device for each of said bars, these adjusting devices and bars being cooperative with said screen supportingelements for effecting upward and down ward movements of said screen.

2. In a separating and washing device, means for conducting a stream of water and of granular material within the water, a screen within said means, and a plurality of chutes each pivotally mounted adjacent to said screen in position to receive the material and discharge the same either on said screen or on another of said chutes according to the will of the operator.

3. The combination of a sluice, a plurality of screen sections mounted within said-sluice, and a plurality of chutes each having one end pivotally connected to said sluice above one of said screen sections and being movable on its pivot into and out of a position in which it is effective to discharge material either onto another of said chutes or onto one of said screen sections, the relation of the chutes to the screen sections being such that the latter may be removed and replaced by their movement between two of said chutes.

4. The combination of a sluice having vertical sides formed with grooves extending downward from the tops of said sides, a bar slidably mounted in each of said grooves and having one of its sides flush with the inner side of the contiguous one of said vertical sides, a pair of supporting bars each supported by a plurality of the slidably mounted bars, a screen supported by said pair of supporting bars, and an adjusting device for each of the said slidably mounted bars, said adjusting devices and slidably mounted bars being cooperative with said 6 supporting bars for effecting upward and downward movements of said screens.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE N. McELrREsH, PETER F. LUCHINGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

